Syed Mansor bin Syed Kassim Barakbah was born on 30 November 1934 in Dulang, Yan, Kedah Darul Aman. After finishing primary and secondary education in Alor Setar, he was enrolled to the University of Malaya in Singapore on a Kedah State Scholarship in 1957 and graduated early in 1960 with Bachelor of Arts degree. Upon graduation he joined the Kedah State Civil Service.
While in the State Civil Service he was enrolled to the University of Cambridge, England to attend a course in Land Administration for an academic year of 1968 to 1969.
In 1970, he was chosen by the Rotary Club of Alor Setar to represent in a group study exchange team trip to Australia of the Sydney Rotary District for 3 months. The choice was based on youth leadership activities as he was the President of The Malaysian Association of Youth Club (MAYC) which he served for a period of 5 years.
He also served several posts as the State Director of Land and Mines, State Financial Officer and the State Secretary until he retired in November 1989. He also sat on the board of various companies notably the State Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) through which he was seconded to be board member of joint-venture companies such as:
Kedah Cement Sdn. Bhd.
Kedah Marble Sdn. Bhd.
Gula Padang Terap Sdn. Bhd.
Kedah Glazed Tile Sdn. Bhd.
Sri Termin Sdn. Bhd.
Peruda Sdn. Bhd.
For his recognition of his services, the State of Kedah has awarded the Darjah Setia Diraja Kedah (D.S.D.K.) in 1976 which conferred the title “Dato” and in 1983 the title “Dato Jaya Pahlawan” by Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Tuanku Sultan of Kedah Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah. In 1990 he stood as a candidate for a State seat in the General Election on a UMNO ticket against the PAS President in Bukit Raja constituency but unfortunately was defeated. In 1991, he was on a contract to be the Malaysian Representative to Taiwan for a period of 2 years. Since returning home to Malaysia at the end of March 1993 he has been active again in the private sector still serving on boards for numerous companies including on the board of the KLSE Second Board public listed company, MCL Corporation Bhd. as its chairman.
